The Appellate Judicial Commission will interview 34 applicants in early November to fill a pair of vacancies on the Missouri Court of Appeals.
The openings in the Eastern and Western districts were created by the Aug. 1 retirements of Judge Philip M. Hess and Judge Anthony Rex Gabbert. All interviews will be open to the public and held in the Division I courtroom of the Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City, though they will not be broadcast online.
The commission will conduct interviews for the Western District applicants starting at 10 a.m. Nov. 3 and 8:30 a.m. Nov. 4. After the interviews conclude, the commission will meet to select three nominees for the governor's consideration.
Interviews for the Eastern District will immediately follow, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 4 and continuing at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5. The commission will select three nominees for that vacancy following the conclusion of interviews the second afternoon.
The 19 applicants for Gabbert's Western District seat include seven women and four minority applicants, with an average age of 47.3 years. Seven are employed outside the Kansas City metropolitan area. Thirteen work in the public sector, including 11 who are currently judges, while three work in the private sector and three work in both. The applicants to be interviewed are Jessica Agnelly, Cory L. Atkins, Adam L. Caine, Sarah A. Castle, Timothy J. Flook, Kenneth R. Garrett III, J. Benton Hurst, Shelly A. Kintzel, Shaun J. Mackelprang, Landon W. Magnusson, Rodney P. Massman, Ryan A. Moehlman, Alisha D. O’Hara, Jalilah Otto, Jerel L. Poor II, Kate Schaefer, Marty W. Seaton, Mark A. Styles Jr. and Katie Jo N. Wheeler.
The 15 applicants for Hess's Eastern District seat include two women and three minority applicants, with an average age of 47.9 years. Seven are employed outside the St. Louis metropolitan area. Ten work in the public sector as judges, one works in the private sector and four work in both. The applicants to be interviewed are Thomas C. Albus, Shane K. Blank, Rodney J. Campbell Jr., Madeline O. Connolly, Heather R. Cunningham, Stephen S. Davis, Ryan J. Helfrich, Craig K. Higgins, Timothy W. Inman, Jason K. Lewis, Scott A. Millikan, Corey R. Moon, Jerel L. Poor II, Brice R. Sechrest and Grant W. Wobig.
